


Chasin' Down My Demons

by aNerdObsessed



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Dark Rey, F/M, Join Me, Young Knights of Ren, please, together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 11:17:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17202479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aNerdObsessed/pseuds/aNerdObsessed
Summary: Rey is the newest Knight of Ren and desperately needs to impress the Supreme Leader. Kylo has the Supreme Leader's favor, but he'd much rather have someone else's





	Chasin' Down My Demons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AngstyWriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngstyWriter/gifts).



> _Here in this room_  
>  _I'm chasin' down my demons_  
>  _I can hear them breathing_  
>  _But who knew?_  
>  _You would be my comfort_  
>  _You could bring me healing_  
>  _Well if my friends gonna let me slide_  
>  _How come you never left my side?_  
>  _Before I go make it last all night_  
>  _While I slip into the great divide_  
>  "Kamikaze" by Walk the Moon
> 
> So this is probably nothing like what you wanted and I don't think I even included any tropes you sent me (except maybe kind of sort of bed sharing?) but I hope you like it. And don't judge it too hard because I couldn't have you beta your own gift so there's probably a ton of plot holes and logical fallacies. Yikes.
> 
> Merry Christmas AngstyWriter!!!

Rey arrived at the  _Finalizer’s_  hangar early, which turned out to be a mistake. 

The command shuttle reserved for the Knights of Ren was already prepped and ready for their journey, towering over the hangar floor like a dark specter. TIE fighters and atmospheric assault launchers were lined up along the walls as officers and troopers scurried about inspecting and repairing the ships, their activity echoing in the vast space. 

Rey let her pack slide from her shoulders, dropping it to the ground with a thump. No one paid her any mind, or maybe they were avoiding the dark-clad apprentice knight. Rey crossed her arms as she leaned against the command shuttle’s lowered ramp. 

“Well, look who it is.” 

Rey straightened at the familiar snide voice. “Switch off, Ymiré.” 

The other girl’s olive skin was shaded by the cowl she wore over her head, but Rey could still see the predatory glint in her eyes. Her companion, a tall, lanky boy who smirked down at Rey, raised an eyebrow. 

“Thought you could get a head start, Rey? Unfortunately, we’re all taking this shuttle together, so you’re just going to have to sit tight.” 

Rey scowled.  

“I don’t know, Akkerd,” Ymiré mused, her hands settling on her hips where twin blaster holsters hung. “She probably thinks she gets bonus points for showing up early.” 

“You ever get tired of listening to yourselves talk?” Rey spat, reaching for the staff slung over her back. 

“No, they don’t,” Silyana sighed, coming up and tossing her pack next to Rey’s. “They actually enjoy the sound of their own whining.” 

“What’s wrong with you, Silyana?” Akkerd asked, unconsciously tapping the curved hilt on his own belt. 

“I’m just not excited about listening to both your stupid ramblings for however long it takes us to get to the target.” Silyana shrugged. 

“Well, don’t. We weren’t talking to you. We were talking to the traitor here,” Ymiré said, smiling viciously at Rey. 

“I’m not a traitor.” Rey’s entire body was tense, the grip on her staff turning her knuckles white. 

“That’s what you say, traitor. Who’s gotten no kills since we picked you up on that dry rock of a planet?” 

“Who’s a traitor?” 

Rey barely resisted flinching when Kylo’s deep, quiet voice spoke just above her head. He was much closer than necessary, close enough that she could feel his body heat even in the chilly recycled air of the  _Finalizer._  

Rey snapped. She pivoted, swiping at him with her staff. Kylo stepped back, long fingers extended to block her blow with the Force, halting her mid-swing.  

“I swear, Kylo, back the kriff off!“ 

“Calm down, Rey,” he smirked, then let go of his hold on her staff, drawing his hand back. She was thrown slightly off balance by the return of control over her weapon but quickly recovered. Rey tried to rein in the long-simmering resentment towards Kylo, who had always been Leader Snoke’s favorite, besides having no regard for personal space. 

“You might wanna listen to her,” Silyana drawled. “She might give you a matching mark on the other cheek. Although I wouldn’t mind watching that again. And it might look kind of badass.” 

Everyone stared at the scar scrawled across Kylo’s face, no doubt remembering the moment Rey had carved into his skin with his own saber. His jaw clenched as splotches of pink bloomed on his cheeks, and he tugged his hood lower.  

“Oh, please.” Silyana rolled her eyes. “Save it for the mission.” 

“When are we leaving, anyway?” Ymiré whined.  

“Maybe if we go now, we can leave Dorrit and Chaq behind,” Akkerd said. 

“Nice try,” Dorrit answered, walking up with Chaq on his heels. 

“You almost missed Rey taking off Kylo’s head,” Silyana informed them, causing Kylo to redirect his glare towards her. 

“Make sure to take a holo when it happens,” Chaq grinned, her blue eyes aglow with malice. The youngest apprentice at thirteen, Rey often thought that Chaq was also the most bloodthirsty. Conversely, Kylo was the oldest but not nearly as violent. Erratic, but not violent, at least using the other apprentices as a comparison.  

“Ren.” 

All seven apprentice knights turned in a swirl of dark fabric at the name, glowering at the pale redheaded man standing at attention in a crisp First Order uniform behind them.  

“Hello, Hugs,” Silyana said, her face a sly neutral. 

“Captain Hux. You here to wish us well?” Ymiré asked, not bothering to hide her smirk. 

Hux’s eyes burned but his face was carefully blank. “I’m here to brief you for your mission. Your target is a Resistance recruiter, one Temmin Wexley. He has been operating on his homeworld of Akiva for the past few standard months in the city of Myrra.” 

Rey tried to recall all the facts that she could remember about Akiva besides its jungle climate. She knew the planet had something to do with the fall of the Imperial remnant after the Battle of Endor, but she couldn’t remember what.  

Kylo knew all of that history by heart, living and breathing the story of the rise and fall of the Empire and Darth Vader. Honestly, she never understood why the Supreme Leader favored him so much when his nose was stuck in a holobook all the time. Kylo had probably memorized a map of Akiva just because.  

Rey glanced at his face to confirm her suspicions and found his eyes were thoughtful even though the rest of his face was a frown. He focused his eyes and caught her looking. Rey turned away. 

“Your objective is to dispose of him. Each of you will be dropped in separate locations and whoever achieves the objective first will be the victor. Any information you might manage to extract is a bonus.” 

Rey shifted impatiently. She needed this win more than anything. The Supreme Leader had already expressed some displeasure with her performance and she didn’t want to end up like Tirian – a smoking corpse on the floor of his audience chamber. Rey crossed her arms. She needed this to survive as an apprentice knight if she would have any hope of finding her parents. 

“Sounds like fun,” Dorrit interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“This is not a game,” Hux continued in a tone that bordered on condescension. “The Supreme Leader and I will not come in and save you if anything goes amiss. And when you fail, trained First Order agents will complete the objective.” 

“No worries, Hugs,” Silyana said. “I’ve got this.” 

“Sure you do,” Chaq drawled, thumbing the edge of her dagger until her finger bled, watching the crimson drops coalesce. “Let’s get on with it.” 

~---~ 

When Rey was shoved off of the command shuttle blindfolded, the first thing she noticed was the humidity. Rey was accustomed to heat on Jakku and she loathed the cold stale air on board the Star Destroyers, always wearing several layers to keep warm. But the atmosphere on this planet was almost suffocating, the air so hot and thick it made it hard to breathe, full of pollen and fruity scents. As she probed the manacles binding her wrists with the Force, the next thing she noticed was the low drone of insects welling up through the undergrowth. This planet was full to the brim with all kinds of organisms, with a climate like an incubator that made it perfect for sustaining growing things.  

The manacles clicked open and Rey ripped off the blindfold to see Akiva for the first time. The sky was overcast but bright, making the jungle below glow verdant. It appeared that the shuttle had dropped her off on the edge of one of the many canyons that scored the planet’s surface. The clearing behind her was the only suitable place to land a ship that she could tell because there were no other breaks in the jungle canopy. And there was no city sprouting from the trees where her target was hiding either. Irrationally, Rey felt a spurt of anger towards Kylo, who had a distinct advantage over the rest of the Ren by knowing the general geography of Akiva, even if he didn’t know the relative location of the city.  

But maybe that was something she could discover on her own. 

Rey settled down, legs bent underneath her, and closed her eyes. She figured they would drop her no further than fifty clicks from Myrra. All she had to do was to seek out the ripples the city would create in the Force and that would be her compass.  

It was morning when Rey had made planetfall, but it was almost noon when she finally picked out something different, more concentrated in the web of the Force, overrun with the vibrancy of the jungle life as it was. It could only be Myrra. She rose and headed out, seeking a way down into the canyon. 

It was about a few standard hours later of trudging through thick undergrowth and swatting away pesky ya-ya flies when Rey realized that there was another anomaly in the Force. This was much closer, singular, and trailing behind her as she descended into the canyon until she came up to a trickle of water flowing along the canyon floor. Her fingers itched for her staff, but instead she unhooked the lightsaber from her belt. An atele perched in a nearby tree suddenly hooted a warning call before launching off the branch and gliding away on silent wings. 

A brittle vine snapped. Rey whirled, humming crimson plasma springing from her hand to lock with a sputtering garnet blade. 

“Kylo,” she spat. 

“Rey.” His eyes were dark and cool. 

“Trying to take me out?” she snarled. “Worried I’ll beat you again?” 

“No, I –” 

Rey stepped back, breaking the blade lock, and feinted towards his side. When Kylo moved to deflect, she tugged at his ankles with the Force, pulling his legs out from under him so that he fell flat on his back. Instantly she was on him, one knee on his chest, one foot pinning his wrist, and her blade singeing the skin of his throat. 

“What the hell, Kylo. What are you doing here?” 

“Same as you,” he smirked. “I’ve got a target.” 

“And I’m not it.” 

“But you know where it is.” 

Rey regarded Kylo for a moment, skirting at the edges of his mind before he pushed her thoughts away. “And you don’t, do you?” 

He growled, shoving her arm back and rolling them over so he had her pinned. Rey let herself go lax, not bothering to fight back as she laughed in his face. The lightsaber still hummed faintly in her hand but she switched it off.  

“You really don’t, do you?” 

Kylo glared at her, that unruly hair falling in his eyes concealing a dangerous light there, but she wasn’t worried.  

“Take me to Myrra, or I’ll finally end you, right now.” 

“You should only make threats you intend to follow through on.” Rey pushed him with a telekinetic shove and he fell back. Rey stood up, crossing her arms. “You don’t need this like I do. And if anyone’s expendable in this situation, it’s you.” 

“You wouldn’t kill me, traitor.” Kylo seemed to realize what he’d called her as her face contorted in fury. He scrambled up to face Rey, a glower on his face, calling his lightsaber hilt back to his hand.  

“You,” she continued, anger shaking her voice. Rey took a step forward. “You’re afraid. Of  _me.”_  

Kylo stared at her a moment, the burning emotion in his eyes melting away. She knew then that he was remembering that first day, when the Ren had found her on Jakku, when she’d been angry and frightened, almost feral.  

They’d been holding her, trying to contain her. She’d thought they were taking her away from any chance of finding her parents, and her desperation made her strong. Someone had reached into her mind, trying to put her to sleep, but Rey had pushed back violently, breaking some barrier in her mind as her screams echoed across the desert. Kylo’s lightsaber had appeared in her hand without a conscious thought. She’d seen the same emotion in his eyes then that she did now.  

His jaw clenched. “No, I’m not  _afraid._  I want-” 

Rey laughed before he could finish. Abruptly, Kylo turned, stalking off into the trees. Rey watched him go and let herself relax. She knew his temperament, knew that he’d be unbalanced long enough for her to get a head start.  

That’s when she realized Kylo had also distracted her. She stared into the trees off to her right at the pride of spotted cats that were half hidden in the shade. They were across the trickle of water that bisected the canyon floor, only the occasional twitching tail giving them away. Each one only came up to her knee, but there were at least twenty of them, fixing their overlarge eyes on her. Rey tried to remember anything she’d studied about the fauna of Akiva, but she couldn’t recall anything about the native felines. One with bright yellow eyes tilted its head back and yowled, and the others answered, making Rey’s skin prickle. 

Rey shifted into a defensive stance, reigniting her saber, the other hand raised. Instead of backing away, they all stood up, fur bristling, and started towards her, almost as if drawn by the crimson light. Rey looked at the plasma beam, too, and then they lunged at her, hissing.  

Rey threw several back with a wave of her hand, beheading another that came within reach of her saber. The nauseating smell of singed hair and burnt flesh choked the thick air. The cats screeched, redoubling their attack. Rey attempted to sink into the Force to anticipate their attacks.  

The clouds overhead had darkened while she’d been walking, and now they released a fork of lightning that cracked the air. Another cat jumped at her as her eyes readjusted to the artificial dusk, brutally long claws extended. Rey shrieked in anger when it sliced across her upper arm, capturing the leaping cat in midair with a net of the Force, snapping its neck. Rey winced as she felt its light go out, but she took a breath and closed her eyes, preparing to kill them all.  

Lightning struck before she could, bright enough to see through her eyelids. Rey gasped and opened her eyes.  

Kylo stood in front of her, lightning snapping from his fingertips, spearing the felines on crackling tendrils. After a moment, he let them drop, their fur smoking.  

“What—“ 

Natural lightning sliced through the sky followed by a roll of thunder, and the clouds broke open.  

“We need to get to shelter,” Kylo shouted above the rain. “This canyon is about to become a river. Which way?” 

Rey pointed in the general direction of where she felt the city to be, and Kylo began marching away. She followed behind without argument, even though she was surprised by his reappearance. He knew Akiva’s geographical climate better than she did, and already the little trickle beside them was swelling with rainfall, filling the space between the trees.  

Soon it was pushing them back against the canyon walls, water splashing over their ankles. Under the rumble of the storm that made the sky tremble, there was a deeper roar that shook the ground. Kylo and Rey looked back and saw a wave of water barreling towards them. Rey indulged in a moment of irony, considering her imminent death by water when she would have killed for it as a child on Jakku. 

Kylo grabbed her arm. “We have to find high ground.” 

She wrenched his hand away. “Obviously!” 

“Find it, Rey, now!” 

“What?” 

He gripped her shoulders. “Just breathe.” 

A flock of clever-birds burst into the sky, spooked by the oncoming wave. Rey stared at Kylo, startled to see a confident calm in his gaze. Rey closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly, feeling out the land with her mind.  

Her eyes flew open. “This way.” 

He followed her to the canyon wall and they looked up. It was covered in tangled vines like everything else, coated in greenery. 

“Rey?” Kylo asked, his voice tense. She didn’t answer, instead crouching and leaping upward, using the Force to boost her momentum. Rey landed on a ledge, then boosted to the next one, balancing herself before turning back. Kylo looked almost small from that height, but she could still see his dark eyes fixed on her. She looked up the canyon at the cresting wave closing in on them, then held out a hand to him. 

“Kylo!” 

He leapt upwards, landing on the first ledge. He was bigger and taller than she was, so it took him a bit longer to catch his balance on the narrow rim on the canyon wall before he crouched to take the next jump. Rey pushed herself back to make room for him. 

Kylo jumped. Rey reached for him. And so did the wave. 

Their hands snagged right as the wave caught Kylo’s body, jerking him to the side. Rey was knocked off her feet, falling to her knees. She screamed as the strain of holding on to him pulled at the scratch marks on her upper arm. He was shouting at her but she couldn’t hear him over the rush of water and storm. Instead she delved into the energy of the Force again and  _pulled_.  

The water reluctantly let go of its hold on Kylo’s torso and the two apprentices fell back onto the ledge, tumbling through a crevasse in the cliff face. Rey’s back hit the ground and then the air was forced out of her lungs when Kylo landed on top of her. She gasped and he pushed himself off. They were both breathing hard and he stared down at her with wild eyes. 

“You should have let go,” Kylo reprimanded, silhouetted for a brief moment by a flash of light from the storm outside. “You could have drowned.” 

“I didn’t know you could summon lightning,” Rey deflected. 

Kylo regarded her for a moment before pulling himself away and standing on his feet. He offered her a hand up. “I couldn’t.” 

She grasped his hand and stood. They were close, and her gaze traced the scar she’d given him from under the collar of his tunic to meet his eyes. “The Supreme Leader won’t be pleased. If, you know, we stay together.” 

Kylo didn’t reply. Instead he leaned closer, his face in shadow, and Rey froze.  

But then he was pushing past her deeper into the opening in the rock. A glow lamp materialized in his hand as he went further in. 

“Kylo!” she called after him. When he didn’t turn back, Rey clenched her fists and followed.  

He held the light aloft, inspecting the tunnel walls. “This is a part of the catacombs. It will lead us under Myrra,” he mused aloud. 

“Kylo,” Rey hissed. “There is no  _us_. The Supreme Leader expects us to do this alone.” 

“Does he?” He turned and looked at her. “Hux didn’t mention it.” 

“You know what he wants. The Dark Side doesn’t allow for partnership.” 

“You mean the Sith don’t allow for partnership,” Kylo corrected, his eyes full of soft fire. “We’re not Sith, Rey. We’re Ren.” 

Rey opened her mouth to argue because he  _knew_ what the Supreme Leader wanted, but a cold gust of air blew from deeper down the tunnel and she shivered violently. 

“You’re cold,” Kylo stated. 

She couldn’t argue with that, even though she desperately wanted to. They were both dripping with water after getting drenched by the storm, but apparently, he was better at maintaining his body temperature.  

“We should find a place to rest for the night and warm up.” 

Rey raised her eyebrows. “I think  _we_ should keep moving.” 

Kylo glowered. “No. The Uugteen are more active at night.” 

Rey shivered again. “Whatever.” 

He turned and began trudging deeper into catacombs and Rey walked at his side. The trek warmed her slightly, but she was still soaked through and the temperature dropped the further they went. It was a relief when she sensed an empty antechamber off the tunnel. 

“In here,” she said. Kylo glared at the blackness distrustfully, but followed her in. She noticed a few brittle roots scattered around and gathered them up with numb fingers to begin a fire. 

“No fire. It’ll draw the Uugteen.” 

“What are the Uugteen?” 

“Humanoids. Carnivores. Live deep in the catacombs and run in swarms.” 

She dropped the pile of kindling, kicking it so it scattered. “How are we supposed to dry off?”  

Kylo unfastened his cloak, wringing it out before draping it over a protruding stone in the wall, followed by his surcoat and then his tunic. He shucked off his boots and socks, leaving only a thin undershirt and pants. “You too,” he ordered before sitting down. “Hypothermia’s not a joke.” 

Rey stared at him, trying to read his thoughts. His gaze was too deep to discern, but there was something there she hadn’t noticed before. Almost instinctively Rey reached for his mind, but Kylo quickly averted his gaze and threw up his mental shields.  

Slowly, Rey followed suit until she was dressed in her sleeveless tunic and leggings. She crouched, huddling against the wall, jamming her hands under her arms to warm them as shivers raced over her body. Rey soon realized she’d be too cold to sleep, so she closed her eyes, ready to lose herself in meditation.  

“Rey.” 

She opened her eyes. Kylo was looking at her now, making as if to rise.  

“Can I?” he asked. 

“The Supreme Leader wouldn’t approve.” 

He looked away a moment before meeting her eyes. “The Supreme Leader’s approval won’t matter if you freeze to death.” 

“You don’t have to worry about his favor like I do.” 

“Fine.” He leaned his head back, glaring into the darkness, his face underlit by the glowlamp resting in the middle of the floor. She shivered again. 

“Kylo,” Rey whispered. When he glanced back at her, she shifted upright, making room. He regarded her, then rose to his feet and settled down beside her, brushing against her side. Rey stiffened. 

“Is this alright?” 

“I’m cold.” Rey slowly let herself lean against him, wincing as the claw marks on her arm rubbed against his sleeve. She’d forgotten about them because she’d otherwise gone numb. 

“You’re hurt.” Kylo shifted so he could look down at the scratches on her arm. 

“I can’t feel it,” she dismissed, but Kylo was frowning at the red lines. 

“They could be deep. They might be infected.” 

“I’ll put bacta on it when we get back to the  _Finalizer_.” 

Kylo shifted away and she shivered at the loss of heat. His hand reached out to cover the wound and he closed his eyes, furrowing his forehead. 

“What are you doing?” Rey demanded, but didn’t move away. He exhaled as she watched, and she felt a warm tingle on her skin. When he took his hand away, the scratches were gone. 

“Did you just –” 

“Yes,” he interrupted, his tone final. Carefully, Kylo put an arm around her, tucking her into his side. Rey was still tense, unable to recall when she had last touched someone to help, not harm, but she almost sighed aloud as she felt their shared heat return. Kylo lifted his other hand and called his cloak, which flew across the room, settling over both of them. Apparently, it had some waterproofing that had prevented it from becoming as wet as their other garments, and it soon warmed up as they huddled together. Rey felt him relax as he pulled her closer. 

Rey’s mind wandered as her eyelids grew heavy. Kylo was the oddest of the other apprentices, the first of the Ren and the only one to have adopted a new name so far. Rey didn’t know him or his history, yet she felt herself relaxing too. She kept her grip on her saber hilt as she knew Kylo did his while sleep overtook them. 

~---~ 

When Rey awoke lying on her side, the glowlamp was still on, filling the small space with a dim light. Her head was lying on Kylo’s arm, watching his chest rise and fall and the cross-guard hilt of his saber resting there. Her eyes wandered upward to the scar she’d given him, and after a moment she pushed herself up. Kylo shifted slightly but didn’t wake, his lips parted a hairsbreadth.  _Stars,_ he looked so young when he was asleep, reminding her that they were still just children according to most cultures in the galaxy. Of course, Jakku didn’t value childhood any more than the Knights of Ren did, so it didn’t matter.  

Without thinking, Rey took Kylo’s saber from his loose grip. His hand flexed and then relaxed. She looked down at the weapon in her palm. 

“You didn’t kill me.” 

Rey started, looking back to see that Kylo was watching her with sleepy eyes. She almost smiled to see him appear so vulnerable, but she knew he wasn’t, not really. 

“It’s not a fair fight to kill someone in their sleep.” 

“I didn’t mean just now. I meant when we found you.” 

She shrugged. “I was overpowered, crazed, off balance, frightened.” 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“There was a moment, when you held my saber over me. I saw it in your eyes, but you didn’t do it.” 

She remembered the moment, remembered looking down into his eyes. “I was weak.” Rey let out a bitter laugh. “I couldn’t -- can’t kill you like I should. Weakness.” 

He pushed himself to a sitting position against the wall. “Not weakness. You could have and you wanted to, but you held yourself back. That’s strength.” 

“But it’s not who I’m supposed to be. This mission we’re on right now is to  _kill_.” 

“It is for the rest of us, but maybe not for you.” 

“Are you saying I’m not Ren?” 

“No.” 

“Why haven’t  _you_  killed  _me_?” 

“I’ve killed others,” he said lowly. 

“But not me.” 

“Not you.” 

“You just said that was strength.” 

“Not if it’s only for you. I wouldn’t have spared you if I’d been in your place.” Rey saw that something flicker in Kylo’s eyes again before he could stop it. “But you are the strongest out of all of us.” 

“The Ren are supposed to be able to kill, but you’re saying that I can’t.” 

“No, I’m saying you won’t.” 

Rey was furious, standing to her feet and igniting Kylo’s saber. It sizzled and spat, filling the room with red light. He didn’t flinch, which made her even more angry. If anything, he looked eager, his eyes aglow. “Are you trying to provoke me?” she shouted. 

Kylo huffed. “No, I’m -- stars, I’m trying to --” 

A mechanized howling echoed through the catacombs and into their little antechamber.  

“Was that —“ 

“The Uugteen,” Kylo finished for her. “We should go.” 

Together they dressed in their clothes, which were still somewhat damp but no longer dripping, and crept back into the main tunnel. The distorted howl came again, closer this time. Kylo looked to Rey.  

“This way,” she directed, starting towards the strange noises.  

The sounds grew louder as they journeyed further, but neither of them slackened their pace. When they got close enough, the noises suddenly stopped.  

“Turn here,” Rey ordered, entering a side tunnel. Kylo was right behind her when the hairs on her neck rose.  

Two lightsabers hummed to life, extending the bubble of light surrounding the two Ren. Just on the edge of their circle, they saw pale faces snarling at them. 

“Go!” 

They sprinted away up the tunnel, the shadows cast by their weapons bouncing as they ran. 

“Rey!” Kylo shouted. 

“I’m working on it!” Rey didn’t dare close her eyes, but she reached out with her feelings. She gasped when she found they were closer to the city than she’d anticipated. But more importantly they needed to get to the surface. “Almost there!” 

The Uugteen were howling on their tail. One tried to snatch at Kylo but he slashed its smooth face with the sizzling red beam in his hand. Another one latched on to his ankle and he stumbled, but Rey threw it back with a shout and the Uugteen fell back for a moment before continuing their pursuit. 

“Can you summon lightning again?” 

“No,” Kylo answered breathlessly. “That was – unplanned.” 

Rey huffed. “Keep going! I’ve got this.” 

“What? Rey!” 

“Go!” 

Rey turned on her heel and raised her hand. Kylo ignored her request and stood slightly in front of her, his own hands outstretched. Rey’s neck prickled again as she felt the dark energy he summoned. The Uugteen halted a few paces away, rising into the air, clutching at their throats. They screamed until their lungs were emptied and they couldn’t refill them, choking in Kylo’s invisible grip.  

There was so many of them. Kylo’s hand trembled and Rey saw sweat trickle down his temple as she felt the life leaving their bodies. 

“Rey,” he said through gritted teeth. “A little help?” 

She raised her hand again, mirroring his posture. It would be so quick, so easy, to end them all. She could feel it in her fingertips, rising up her spine.  

“Hold on!” Rey closed her eyes closed as she felt out the earth and stone surround them, not for pathfinding, but to find the veins and faults in the rock. She tugged on the Force, feeling the rock crack under her probe. The tunnel groaned, reluctant to change its formation after so many millennia. Rey strained, pushing all her thought into the ground above them. Her hands curved into claws as if to physically grip the stone and pull it down. Rey cried out, falling to her knees. 

The Uugteen screamed as the ceiling collapsed in front of them, blocking them off from their prey. Rey threw up her hands, shielding her face from the spray of rubble and debris. 

“Rey.” Kylo turned her around, looking her over for injuries. 

“I’m fine.” 

“You didn’t kill them. You chose another way.” He brushed back her hair under her hood, tucking it behind her ear. Rey froze and his eyes widened as he realized what he was doing. Kylo quickly moved back, his hands hanging awkwardly at his sides. He turned and took another step away from her before coming back to her with a fervor in his eyes. 

“Rey, I want you to join me.” 

“What?” 

“Haven’t you seen it? We are so much stronger together. You’re nothing. Not Sith. Not Jedi.” Kylo’s face soured for a brief moment and then cleared. “We will be Ren.” 

“But what about the Supreme Leader?” 

“Leader Snoke has no reason to deny our power.” Kylo held out a hand. “Together, we can complete this mission. And then, we can bring a new Order to the galaxy.” 

Rey hesitated. She had felt that she was powerful, but no one had ever said she was strong. Kylo saw something valuable in her, and she agreed. 

“Join me.” His hand stretched out. “ _Please_.” 

Rey didn’t look at his hand, but stared into his eyes. There she saw what he saw, not a parentless nobody, but someone who held the power of the galaxy at her fingertips, and she wanted that. 

“Together.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://a-nerd-obsessed.tumblr.com)
> 
> Leave a comment or kudos to let me know what you think!


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